Chiricahua Ntnl Monument

After spending the night on the side of the road 15 miles north of Chiricahua National Monument and taking care of work through out the morning, I was able to roll into the park by 1pm. I was quickly blown away by the simple fact of trees, something Arizona does not have much of. This was a true forest in the middle of the desert mountains. It was nice to see some pine again, it has been a while.

After getting some advice from the Rangers at the visitors station and dropping the trailer in a parking area, I was off for the 8-mile scenic drive to Massai Point which overlooks… well, everything to the East and West along with what makes this area a National Monument; the rocks. A quick jaunt along the Nature Trail at 6800 ft altitude gave some spectacular photographs and excited me for the Echo Canyon trail suggested by the Rangers.

Echo Canyon loop  is 3 miles of trail with a loss and gain of 700 ft in altitude. The truly amazing part of this trail was the first half where the trail winds in and among these mammoth rock formations. I felt like a little kid, able to climb anything in sight and explore the cracks and crevasses all around.  Every corner was another amazing view so the hiking took some time as I took aim with the camera at least every few steps I took.

I eventually stopped and ate a quick lunch and watched a pair of Ravens swooping high into their nest at the top of a monolith to feed their young, only to swoop back down, circling and squawking as they dropped back down into the valley to find more food for the chicks. I waited for some time for their return, but I can only assume they were still hunting as I packed up and went further into Echo Canyon.

At the bottom of the canyon, the trail quickly changed from a rocky treasure to a full fledged woody wilderness. I felt as if I instantly changed from hiking in the Rocky Mtn National Park  to Yosemite in a matter of a single bend in the trail. Pine trees and streams filled the sights and smells… such a contrast to the desert rocks just above. Another 1/4 mile brought me to the scenic pay-off of the trail; the view of the canyon westward into the desert.

The hike back up was fairly uneventful. Tired after hoping around rocks like a pre-teen for 1.5 miles, I put my head down and took the trail step by step back up the hillside to the parking lot. About half way up a few hummingbirds were eager to see who was walking past, and flew to me, just out of arms reach, hovered to inspect me for a brief few seconds only to go back to zipping through the bushes after I bored them.

By the time I got back to the van, the sun was casting those long shadows across the landscape and I wanted to get back to the trailer and it hooked up before it got too dark. Afterward, I drove out of the park and back into Willcox to park at the Willcox Visitors Center for the night. Tired and hungry I did not last too long before I was out for the count.

I must say, this ‘monument’ was more stunning to me then many of the National Parks I have visited. It, just like Great Basin National Park, is a gem of a park flying under the radar of the mass populated parks but are  just as grand and exciting. I hope to return to Chiricahua to spend more than just a few hours of a day. This place truly deserves a few days to hike all 17 miles of trail and view the scenery.

See all the photos

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